Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Unchained Love]

[Episode 13]

Make a wish.

I have no wishes.

How could you have no wishes?

Just say something

you can't have

that you really want.

May the way of the world be virtuous,

and peace be everlasting.

May our citizens never again have to be

separated from their loved ones.

May this world

never need another person like me.

The second half doesn't count.

Why not?

The Great Ye needs the Zhaoding Bureau

and people like me

only when the world is not

orderly and peaceful.

When the Great Ye

no longer needs me,

it means the world has really gotten better.

Even if the world becomes better one day,

and the Great Ye doesn’t need

people like you anymore,

there are still many people

who need you.

Like Cao Chun'ang,

Chief She,

and all of your men

at the Zhaoding Bureau.

Chief She told me

many of your Zhaoding Guards

were of lowly birth.

Most of them are orphans

who had no way out

other than joining the Zhaoding Bureau.

You protected them,

and helped them survive

in the midst of complicated power struggles

between the rich and power in the capital.

Qilang is a big-mouthed one.

You are their leader.

Even if the Great Ye doesn’t need you anymore,

they will still need you.

What about you?

Do you need me?

I...

Of course I need you.

Why?

Because you're a good person.

You suffered so much

but you only wish that

others won't have to suffer

like you did.

You seem to have done countless evils,

but your sword

only kills corrupt officials.

Your reputation is sullied,

but you are truly

protecting this country

and protecting its people.

Actually,

you are a very gentle person.

I'm not as good as you think I am.

You are.

My mother said that

river lanterns send our well wishes

to our deceased relatives,

telling them that

we are living very well.

You're doing very well now.

Knowing this,

they will be happy for you.

All right.

Come on.

Let's float the river lanterns.

Thank you.

For what?

It's just a river lantern.

I am thankful

I got to meet you.

I used to despise myself,

but after meeting you,

I think

I like myself a little now.

Why?

Why are you laughing?

Nothing.

Let's go over there.

Okay.

-Bravo! -Bravo!

-Bravo! -Bravo!

-Bravo! -Bravo! -Bravo!

-Bravo! -Bravo!

It's fun to watch,

but she's not as good as I am.

-Bravo! -Bravo!

Even if you say so,

I can't tell the difference.

Why can't you tell?

Didn't you see me in the Dream House?

-Bravo! -Bravo!

It was dark that day,

I couldn't see clearly.

Bravo!

-Bravo! -Great! -Bravo!

Don't try to fool me

into dancing for you again.

Let's watch this.

-Bravo! -Bravo!

Bravo!

-Bravo! -Bravo!

How could you have no wishes?

Just say something

you can't have

that you really want.

Actually,

what I want the most

is...

Bravo!

Just like Xishi's veiled face, you make all others pale in comparison.

Your Majesty.

By the way,

about the Dream House...

Sun Taiqing was out of line.

I've already punished him.

And you.

Chief Xiao.

How could you

be so irresponsible too?

I was thoughtless

and humiliated Her Highness.

It had nothing to do with Chief Xiao.

I insisted on going.

Actually...

Actually, you didn't have to do that.

No matter what you are like,

I still like you.

Your Majesty.

Isn't there a banquet at the palace tonight?

Why are you out?

I...

sneaked out.

It's such a beautiful night.

How could I spend it

with those old men of the imperial court?

I only

want to spend it with you.

Besides,

there are so many people on the streets tonight.

I could find you

in the crowd

at a glance.

Don't you think

it's because Heaven

wanted me to find you too?

This lantern

is coarsely-made.

It's not good enough for you.

Come on, Sun Taiqing.

Let me show you

what's really interesting.

Zouma lanterns.

They're so beautiful.

Your Highness.

Every lantern here

was made specially for you

by His Majesty.

Your Majesty.

You are so skilled.

If you weren't the Emperor,

and opened a lantern shop instead,

you would definitely be the best in the capital.

Your Highness,

you shouldn't say that.

It's okay.

So,

do you like

my present to you?

Yes.

Great.

That makes all my effort on them

worth it.

What are those words

on the seal?

It is

my nickname.

Youwu.

[The Flight of Chang'e to the Moon]

What is your nickname?

On a beautiful night,

sharing one's nickname with one's beloved.

It's like a scene straight out of an opera.

Your Highness,

tell His Majesty, quickly.

My nickname...

My nickname is...

Here, don't catch a cold.

Your Highness and His Majesty

are a perfect match.

Bravo!

Bravo!

Bravo!

Bravo!

Bravo!

It's brilliant.

Over there.

-Bravo! -Bravo!

-Bravo! -Bravo!

Money!

That's a lot of money!

Be careful!

Yinlou!

I picked it up first.

Put it down.

Scram!

Your Majesty,

this man is a spy

the Prince of Nanyuan planted in the capital.

Yinlou!

I won't allow anyone

to hurt you!

I can protect you now.

Only I can protect you.

Your Majesty.

Be careful.

Your Majesty.

It's fine to kill him.

It doesn't matter.

It's an honor

even to royalty and aristocrats

to be killed by the Emperor himself,

much less to say a mere spy.

The King of Nanyuan has his eye on us.

It seems that staying outside the palace

is not the safest option.

Yinlou,

once you recover,

come back to the palace with me

and receive a title.

Your Majesty.

The situation at court is complicated now.

Once your edict has been issued,

I’m afraid there will be criticism from the court.

Chief Xiao,

shouldn’t it be easy

for you to handle this?

We just need to

get Her Highness a new identity

to cover it up.

Her Highness got injured so severely

in such a short time outside the palace.

It shows that

she will be the safest

when she returns to His Majesty.

But-

Chief Xiao,

I’ve made up my mind.

Her Highness is severely injured.

Please allow me

to take her back for treatment.

No need.

I'll send her myself.

Don't follow me.

There's something I want you to do.

In the past, I was too merciful.

I left the Prince of Nanyuan unchecked

to grow his influence

in the capital.

I want you to find out

which officials at court

are affiliated with him.

I want to purge

all his followers.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Here.

[Xiao's Residence]

Over the past few days,

thirteen officials in the Prince of Nanyuan's camp

have been imprisoned.

Their seized property have been transferred into the Treasury.

Would you like to

personally verify the exact sum?

Steward Zheng.

Master.

What are you doing?

Lady Bu is leaving.

We were told to pack up.

It's interesting.

She didn't have much when she came,

but now that she's leaving, there's quite a lot.

Yes.

The documents pertaining to

changing Her Highness' identity

are ready.

Do you want to take a look?

Don't worry.

Her Highness won't get bullied in the palace.

We should be thankful if she doesn't

bully others.

Besides,

your people are everywhere in the palace.

Send some men we trust

from the Zhaoding Bureau

to protect Her Highness.

That's right.

Who would be stupid enough

to dare touch Her Highness?

The Zhaoding Bureau will not spare him.

Godfather,

I must say something else.

This is not the time to get distracted.

You still have things you must do,

and Her Highness has a fate

she must face.

Get out.

What-

What do you want?

You don't feel reluctant

to return to the palace anymore?

That's it?

Did anyone ask what I wanted?

Does anyone care?

I do.

You've done enough for me,

you've even saved my life.

I feel embarrassed

for being a burden to you.

Besides,

it's not my first time

in the Imperial City.

Don't worry.

If I receive an official title,

I won't forget your kindness.

With my brains,

I can live a good life in the Inner Court.

When that time comes,

we can look out for each other

and support each other.

In a few years, I will also be

a powerful influence in the Great Ye.

The whole Imperial City will have to bow down to us.

If anyone bullies us,

they'll be doomed.

Doesn't it sound

very exciting?

I...

I forgot.

I-

I haven't packed up the table in the courtyard.

♫ I will not hide ♫

♫ My love for you is never cowardly ♫

♫ This is my ♫

♫ Promise of my lifetime ♫

♫ Let this fire ♫

♫ Burn up the entanglements of my previous life ♫

Thank you

for taking care of me.

♫ For the rest of my life ♫

♫ I'll stay with you ♫

♫ I won't hide ♫

♫ My love for you is never cowardly ♫

♫ This is my ♫

♫ Promise of my lifetime ♫

♫ Let this fire ♫

♫ Burn up the entanglements of my previous life ♫

♫ For the rest of my life ♫

♫ I'll stay with you ♫

Godfather.

Are you really going to ask His Majesty

to withdraw his edict?

He has already made up his mind.

Why would you

ask for trouble?

It's not worth it.

I don't have a plan even if I wanted to.

All the more you mustn't go.

There will be a way.

Eunuch Zhang.

Eunuch Zhang, I beg you.

Yes.

My family has been loyal to the Emperor for generations,

we would never befriend traitors.

Your Majesty,

please help us.

Madam.

Madam Bu.

The Empress Dowager has

made her intentions clear.

How about

we call it a day?

Eunuch Zhang.

Daughters of the Bu family

would never marry a rebel.

If she gets married,

her dowry would be white rope to hang herself with.

Don't talk nonsense

inside the palace.

What are you waiting for?

Help Her Ladyship up.

I think my daughter

is doomed.

I might as well

-kill myself here! -Madam!

Please don't, Madam.

Let me die.

Madam.

Madam.

Eunuch Zhang.

What’s the fuss?

Chief Xiao.

Greetings, Chief Xiao.

Here’s the thing.

The late Emperor

had bethrothed the legitimate daughter of the Bu family

to the Prince of Nanyuan as his concubine.

It was a good thing,

but now

things have changed.

At court,

the officials in the Prince of Nanyuan's camp

have all been demoted

or had their property confiscated.

Now that it has come to this,

the Bu family is of course no longer willing

to become in-laws with the Prince of Nanyuan.

The wedding is coming,

but they want to call off the engagement.

If you have no other orders,

I'll try to persuade-

I'll try to persuade her again.

Go back first.

Okay.

Help her.

Hurry.

Your Majesty.

Grand Tutor Bu's wife

wanted to see the Empress Dowager.

She wants to call off the engagement.

I heard that

Chief Xiao is taking down

old allies of the Prince of Nanyuan right now.

If they get married,

the Bu family would take a hit.

When that happens,

Yinlou would definitely bear a grudge against me.

As for Bu Yulu,

he doesn't have many achievements,

and rarely

interacts with the Prince of Nanyuan.

He would be the last one

to collude with the Prince of Nanyuan.

Now,

I have decided to demote the Prince.

It's fine,

let them call off the engagement.

Your Majesty.

The Prince of Nanyuan holds the military power of West Shu.

If you demote him,

he might use it as an excuse

to collude with the other Princes and start a rebellion.

It will be hard to deal with him then.

If Your Majesty wants to take him down,

why not do it in a roundabout way?

What do you mean?

The engagement of the Bu family is an opportunity.

His Majesty can send someone

to West Shu

together with the bride's entourage.

We can familiarize ourselves with the Prince of Nanyuan,

before waiting for a chance to take action.

So this wedding must still happen.

Chief Xiao,

I only trust you.

I will have to trouble you

to make this trip.

Yes, Your Majesty.

But...

At this moment,

we are thinking about

how to deal with the Prince of Nanyuan.

The Prince of Nanyuan

has his eyes on the capital.

If he makes a big fuss

about Her Highness' status as Consort Dowager,

it might ruin our plans.

You mean...

Yinlou can't return to the palace?

Am I not just taking a Consort?

Why is there always

an obstacle

in front of me?

As long as West Shu is in turmoil,

His Majesty will be at the mercy of others.

I'll think again about West Shu.

Please handle

the affairs regarding the wedding.

You must go as early as possible,

tomorrow would be best.

You can arrive first.

As for the dowry,

we can send them there at a later date,

once they're ready.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Chief Xiao has repeatedly defied you

on the matter of bringing Her Highness back to the palace.

He's also becoming

more and more disrespectful towards you.

I'm afraid he's become disloyal.

Are you really sending him to West Shu?

What if he colludes with the Prince of Nanyuan?

Look.

The Zhaoding Bureau

has always relied on the authority of the Emperor.

The Prince of Nanyuan

would never trust Xiao Duo.

When two giants fight,

one will be injured.

No matter who dies and who is injured,

I...

I

will be the one who benefits.

Your Majesty,

you are really different from before.

I thought

you would continue to

rely on Chief Xiao.

I have been

reading the records of the late Emperor recently.

I've learned a lot.

At the beginning of Emperor Taizu's reign,

the court was in turmoil,

so he established the Zhaoding Bureau

to supervise the officials and ministers.

Through the generations,

the Zhaoding Bureau became more and more powerful.

In my time,

the court already fears Chief Xiao

more than they fear me.

When I first ascended the throne,

you once said

you would make everyone on their knees submit to me

and fear me.

Look.

If Xiao Duo never leaves the capital,

when would I be able to hold absolute power

in my own hands?

When would I be able to make everyone

submit to me

and fear me?

Come.

Alright, Yinge,

stop crying.

Don't worry.

I won't let you marry him.

I thought His Majesty

would call off this engagement.

Why did he confirm it

after you went to the palace?

What did His Majesty say?

Is he suspecting that I'm disloyal?

Bu Yulu,

you're just a Grand Tutor.

You're not significant enough

for His Majesty to be suspicious of you.

You coward.

All you do is pretend to be sick

and hide at home.

Marrying you

was my biggest misfortune.

The Zhaoding Bureau

is eradicating former allies of the Prince of Nanyuan.

Go out and take a look.

How many aristocratic families

have been exiled overnight?

Do you want to go with them?

If I don't stay home,

should I go out there

to be a moving target for them?

If the Prince of Nanyuan

really gets demoted,

what would happen to our Yinge?

There's no way she's getting married!

Fine!

At worst,

we'll disobey the edict,

and our whole family can die together.

You-

The Prince of Nanyuan's residence

only came to ask

for her date of birth.

They haven't even seen her.

By the way,

our family

doesn't only have one daughter.

Are you crazy?

Yinlou was conferred the title of Consort Dowager

by His Majesty himself.

You colluded with the Zhaoding Bureau.

Don't think I don't know.

Bu Yinlou has long left the mausoleum,

and is in the capital now.

All these years,

I've been really kind to her.

It's time for her to fulfil her filial duties.

You can't just swap her out as you wish.

She's His Majesty's woman.

If she really were,

His Majesty would have brought her

to the palace long ago.

How could he allow her

to waste her time outside?

How ignorant.

Usually,

I turn a blind eye

to what you do.

Don't go overboard.

On the day of the sacrifice,

you went to the palace

to talk to the eunuch in charge of selecting tribute ladies.

I haven't settled this score with you yet.

You're just starting

to feel sorry for that little bitch?

Why didn't you stop me back then?

Aren't you just like me?

You wanted the reward for being the family of a tribute lady.

You wanted the Bu family's sons

to advance in officialdom!

I think

you just realized

that bitch is worth something.

You want to rely on her to get promoted.

Otherwise, why didn't you tell her

that woman died a long time ago?

Aren't you afraid that

she will make a scene

and ruin your grand plans?

Enough!

His Majesty has given his order.

Yinge

has to get married no matter what.

You- You-

Mother.

My baby.

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

Don't listen to your father.

I will find a way out for you.

I won't let you get married.

I won't.

All right.

My baby.

He said he cared about me that day.

Mistress.

Mistress.

The Grand Tutor's residence sent a message,

saying that Her Ladyship is sick.

Which lady?

Who else?

Your mother!

Isn't my mother

fully recovered?

What illness is it?

What happened?

I don't know.

They said it was sudden,

and that she's dying.

Where is Chief Xiao?

Where did Chief Xiao go?

He’s in the palace.

He’s not here now.

Let's go.

Yinlou.

You're finally back.

Where is my mother?

What's the rush?

I'll take you to see her now.

What are you doing?

Let's go.

Godfather.

I know it has been difficult for you

to get to the Prince of Nanyuan for the past few years.

Now, His Majesty

has handed you an opportunity.

Even then, isn't it too hurried

for you to leave today?

You've been busy with wedding preparations

the whole day.

Doesn't His Majesty rely on you the most?

Why do I feel like he wants you

to leave for West Shu immediately?

It is a perilous task to serve the Emperor.

No matter how much he relied on me in the past,

now that he's sat on that throne for a while,

the way he looks at people

has changed.

The Zhaoding Bureau is too powerful.

It's only a matter of time before his trust in me begins to wane.

If this is so clear to you,

how dare you leave the capital now?

I'm different from the officials of the court.

No matter how capable I am,

I am still just a servant of the Murong family.

If he really wants to undermine me,

I have no way of resisting.

I might as well obey

and leave the capital.

My purpose

all along

has been in West Shu.

You can make contact with the Prince of Nanyuan's secret service

using this piece of jade.

Bring some men with you,

[Yuwen]

along with this jade,

to West Shu.

See what the Prince of Nanyuan has been up to recently.

Yes.

You said your purpose is in West Shu.

If you really

were concerned only with West Shu,

why did you stop Her Highness from entering the palace?

Not only did you offend His Majesty,

you also failed.

Cut the crap.

I have ordered Qilang

to wait at the port.

You guys make a move first

and escort the Bu family entourage.

I'll catch up with you later.

Aren't you coming with us?

You're really determined

to convince His Majesty to retract his order.

I can't let her enter the palace.

Master.

Master!

Master.

Yesterday, someone from the Grand Tutor's residence told me

that the concubine of the Bu family was sick.

Lady Bu insisted on leaving,

and hasn't come back since.

Godfather.

Maybe Her Highness is just visiting.

If you go,

you'll cause a scene.

Following His Majesty’s orders, the Bu family

is marrying off their legitimate daughter.

[Xiao's Residence]

This is a highly inauspicious time

for a concubine of the family to fall ill.

Last night,

did the Bu family report

the illness of their concubine?

No.

What if Her Highness missed home,

and made up an excuse?

She only had to tell me. There's no need to lie.

Someone must have used false information

to lure her back home.

Have you been

stewing too long in subterfuge?

What could be wrong with going home?

Her Highness said that

she never received any letters from her mother after entering the palace.

Her mother wasn't at the old residence at Fushui town,

and hasn't showed up at the Bu residence in the capital.

Even the dowry list

doesn't include a contribution from her.

It's very suspicious.

It's another matter altogether whether she's alive or dead,

but this is definitely a ploy.

[Xiao’s Residence]

Chief Xiao,

what brings you here?

My daughter is already on the way.

Where is Consort Dowager Duan?

Consort Dowager Duan?

Isn't she

at your residence?

Chief!

I found Tongyun.

This... How dare you!

My husband is the Grand Tutor,

an ordained official of the court.

How dare you

search our residence for no reason?

Shut up!

My wife is ignorant.

Please be magnanimous, Chief Xiao,

and forgive her.

Chief Xiao,

please save my mistress.

They are forcing her to get married as a replacement.

She just left.

She'd better be safe.

Otherwise, I am a narrow-minded person,

and will not let this pass.

Cao Chun'ang.

Inform Qilang immediately.

We can't let the entourage ships

leave the port.

Dispatch men from the Zhaoding Guard Stations

in the area

to intercept

the Bu family entourage.

Don't let a single one of them leave.

Yes.

You...

Xiao Duo.

Xiao Duo.

Xiao Duo must not know yet.

I have to escape.

I can't marry into West Shu.

I must find her.

After her!

After her!

Stop!

Stop!

Stop!

Stop running.

Don't worry.

Stop running.

Relax.

Don't come near me.

Don't come near me!

Don't come near me!

Listen up.

I'm the bride from the Bu family

who is getting married to the Prince of Nanyuan.

The late Emperor ordered the marriage.

If I get hurt,

none of you can escape scot-free.

How about you let me go?

All of us will be safe and sound.

Otherwise,

I'll kill whoever I catch.

I'll kill whoever I catch.

I didn't mean to run away.

Take me to Fushui Town.

Hurry.

Okay, I'll take you there.